Nothing’s better than when an enemy begrudgingly admits that while he hates your cause, he admires the character of those who represent it. In the first centuries of the Church, persecution was the norm and bloody campaigns led by Roman emperors such as Nero or Domitian sent many Christians to painful deaths.

I really enjoy reading early Christian history because it always challenges me to be holy in the face of obstacles to our faith. Even the enemies of the early church couldn’t...

~ Thomas Aquinas; philosopher, theologian, author, Doctor of the Church, patron of Catholic universities, colleges, and schools; reaffirming his total submission to the authority of the Church from his deathbed